KULIM – A PKR veteran has alleged that the Perikatan Nasional (PN) candidate for Padang Serai had gone overboard with a tirade while campaigning against the formation of the national unity government.
Former PKR senator Mohd Yusmadi Mohd Yusoff said Datuk Azman Nasrudin has focused too much on racial or religious issues to garner support – to the extent it has put off a large segment of the community here.
Citing examples, Yusmadi said Azman had called the unity government comprising Pakatan Harapan (PH), Barisan Nasional, and the Borneo bloc an unlawful (zina) government.
Then, he described the government members as unprincipled and alleged that it was an administration lacking a Malay-Muslim majority.
“Azman or we call him ‘Cikgu Azman’ should know that he was previously from PKR. We in PKR want to sustain a moderate outlook while maintaining the role of Islam as the official religion. We do not challenge sacred things such as the protection of race and religion. By harping on slander, Azman (went overboard),” said Yusmadi in an interview.
In village lingo, Azman is now known in villages here as a “mat over,” (someone who overly dramatises accounts), said Yusmadi.
He said that voters in Padang Serai are a working class and intelligent lot.
They know that Azman was previously from PKR, and merely chose to campaign on rhetoric without offering any solutions, said Yusmadi.
The parliamentary by-election here should be about focusing on the needs and issues of the constituency, the PKR man added.
Therefore, PKR, through PH, plans to offer solutions to issues involving villagers seeking decent jobs, local government amenities, and the pockets of poverty which still exist in plantations here.
PKR is also working on offering scholarships to the children of armed forces personnel, named after the seat’s incumbent M. Karupaiya, who died recently.
PH candidate Mohamed Sofee Razak was also asked to come up with solutions that could help voters enjoy a better quality of life, said Yusmadi.
“It is a discredit to Azman if he insists on a campaign waged on race and religion. Malaysia is multiracial and plural. Do not for one second try to change us.
“They are just obsessed with identity politics. We will put things in the right perspective. We will campaign intelligently so the voters can make a right choice for their future.”
If PN is so great, what has their dominant party, PAS, done economically for Kelantan, Terengganu, and Kedah, asked Yusmadi. – The Vibes, December 3, 2022
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